In tonight’s edition of MRGC duals, Utah State travels to BYU.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Utah State. Already lacking in the depth department due to losing many of its 2022 competitive routines to transfer, the Aggies were dealt a blow when Amari Evans tore her Achilles two weeks ago. Despite that, the Aggies hit 196 for the first time last weekend, but have often struggled to put a full meet together. Sofi Sullivan is back on beam for the Aggies and Brianna Brooks has emerged into an elevated role as an all-arounder. A hit meet tonight will allow Utah State to drop a 193 from its NQS, which will be immensely helpful.
BYU had a rough start to the season before finding its footing. That slipped some after a disastrous bar rotation last weekend, and the Cougars will look to rebound from that performance and get back into at least the 196s in front of their home crowd. Keep an eye out for Anyssa Alvarado on bars and Elease Rollins on beam, and don’t forget to stick around for BYU’s floor performances.
USU lineups:
Rotation 1: BYU VT, USU UB
Dudley (BYU): yfull, not the most dynamic but fairly clean with a slight pike down and a small hop. 9.8
Gutierrez (USU): Maloney to bail, slight leg sep; good final hs; dlo, some leg sep and feet but stuck. 9.775
Raesly-Patton (BYU): yfull on tuck, small hop forward. 9.75
Rojas (USU): slight arch first hs; Maloney to bail, slight leg sep; final hs better; dlo, small slide back. Solid. 9.7
Benson (BYU): yfull, off to the side but inside the lines and a hop forward. 9.775
Bibbey (USU): straddled tkatchev good; short hs; bail hs hit; final hs good, dlo, slightly archy with some feet, stuck. 9.725
Ripley (BYU): fhs pike half, overpowers it with a large hop back, but clean otherwise. 9.75
Brooks (USU): great first hs; ray caught slightly close to bail, good; finesses final hs; dlo, tiniest slide back. 9.775
Eaquinto (BYU): yfull, good distance, preflight leg sep, tiniest of hops back. And I mean tiny. 9.875
Kirstine (USU): Maloney to pak, good; blind full double tuck, stuck. One of the best routines for USU so far. 9.775
Mason (BYU): y1.5 today, some knees and a step back out of the line. 9.825
Aragon (USU): textbook first hs; free hip tkatchev, good; bail hs, short; hits final hs; ftdt, close to bar but basically stuck. “that’s why she didn’t have to do any spinny tricks in front of it,” that’s one way to describe an E dismount. 9.725
After 1: BYU 49.025, USU 48.775
Not either team’s best rotation to start the meet, as BYU’s landings were off and USU with a number of small errors and missed handstands.
Rotation 2: USU VT, BYU UB
Gatzlaff (USU): yfull, good height but could have more distance, tiny hop back. Good way to start. 9.875
Mason (BYU): nice first hs; Maloney to pak, archy; good final hs; dlo, some leg sep and a hop back. 9.75
Southam (USU): yhalf, doesn’t get a good block and sits it down. 9.1
Benson (BYU): ray good; slightly short hs; bail hs, hit; holds onto final hs; dlo, stuck. Little form issues throughout. 9.75
Eagles (USU): yfull, some piking and knees, tiny hop to the side. 9.725
Bramblett (BYU): holds onto first hs; straddled jaeger, ever so slightly too far and can’t catch. Redoes it to get her connection bonus and catches it, immediate to bail. DLO, step forward. Not her best. 9.2
Brooks (USU): yfull, tries to hold onto the landing but a deep knee bend and a step forward. 9.65
Eaquinto (BYU): ok first hs; Maloney to pak, no visible errors from the side; dlo, kind of loose and a hop back. Good recovery after the fall before her. 9.825
Ostendorf (USU): yfull, Utah State’s best one so far. preflight legs and a tiny hop back. 9.9
Hunter (BYU): fine first hs; straddled tkatchev, good, little bit of feet; hit bail hs; slightly short final hs; dlo, hop forward.
Bibbey (USU): just a ylay, step forward. Her first collegiate vault. 9.525
Alvarado (BYU): good first hs; floaty pak; slightly short hs; van leeuwen, nice; dlo stuck. That’s the bar highlight of the night, folks.
Barron with a hit routine in exhibition for BYU.
After 2: BYU 98.025, USU 97.450
A much better bars rotation from BYU this week after last week’s catastrophe; it wasn’t perfect by any means but the Cougars avoid counting a fall. USU had to vault a Yurchenko layout, which isn’t ideal, and ended up counting that score due to the fall earlier in the lineup. Ostendorf’s 9.9 was the highlight.
Rotation 3: BYU BB, USU FX
Mason (BYU): bhs loso, secure; cat leap, breaks connection, repeats connected to side aerial, small check; switch leap split jump, good positions; ro double full basically stuck. 9.825
Brooks (USU): front lay rudi, hit with some crossy legs; cartwheel loso to her knee to get her back tumbling requirement; front lay leg sep to lay full, solid; switch leap switch ring 1/2, unique that she saves her leaps for the end. 9.725
Raesly-Patton (BYU): front aerial small adjustment split jump, good position; switch leap split jump, good; bhs loso, secure with a little bit of back knee bend; ro 1.5 stuck. 9.875
Gatzlaff (USU): double tuck, controlled landing; switch half wolf full, good positions; Rudi to split jump, hit; back 1.5 to lay, solid landing. 9.8
Margraf (BYU): split jump, good; front aerial back tuck, secure; switch half beat jump, nice; Front full stuck. 9.9
Toomey (USU): Rudi loso, good control; leaps hit; front full front full, some leg from, solid landing. 9.85
Dudley (BYU): bhs loso, tiny bit of knees; switch straddle straddle 1/4, secure; cat leap side aerial, balance check but stays on; ro 1.5, 2 tiny steps forward. 9.7
Ostendorf (USU): front lay rudi, good start; wolf full switch side straddle, solid; double tuck, clean landing. 9.9
Rollins (BYU): switch straddle 1/4, well done; front aerial bhs loso, big wobble; bhs lay full, near stick. Not her best, but she stayed on. 9.8, seems a tad high for that bobble.
Eagles (USU): front lay lay full, solid; double tuck, low chest, nearly oob but stays in; think I missed her leaps! 9.725
Schooley (BYU): bhs loso, tiny shoulder dip; hitch kick side aerial, big check; straddle straddle half, would like more split in the straddle half. Gainer full, small hop. 9.7
Gutierrez (USU): front punch through to double tuck, oob. Tour jete half split full, would like a little more split; double pike, a tad understated with a step forward. 9.625
After 3: BYU 147.125, USU 146.450
BYU still hit 49 on beam, but it definitely wasn’t the Cougars’ best beam performance, and I’d argue some of the scores were a little high. Utah State had a good but not great floor rotation – there’s little things to clean up but it was good overall.
Rotation 4: USU BB, BYU FX
Kirstine (USU): bhs loso, way off and can’t save it; side somi, hit; good leap series; gainer front full with a heel raise stick. 9.225
Millar (BYU): switch side popa, knee bend on the switch side; double tuck, solid; front lay lay full, well-controlled. 9.85
Aragon (USU): switch leap split jump, barely at 180; bhs loso, rock solid; front toss, slightly low landing and leg up check; bhs 1.5 stuck. Not perfect, but a hit – just what USU needed to get back on track. 9.5
Benson (BYU): double tuck, well-controlled; solid leaps; front lay lay full, some knees and legs on the full; double pike, hit landing. 9.85
Ostendorf (USU): bhs loso, check; split jump tuck full, would like more split; front toss, hit; ro 1.5, small step. 9.8
Dudley (BYU): double pike, well-controlled; front full front lay, archy and underrotated with a step back; switch side wolf full, solid; double tuck with a hoppy lunge. 9.8
Brooks (USU): front aerial bhs swingdown, lovely; switch half split jump, hit; bhs gainer full stuck. Very nice! 9.9
Schooley (BYU): switch side half, good extension; back 1.5 to lay, controlled; another leap I caught out of the corner of my eye, hit; double tuck, solid. 9.875
Sullivan (USU): front aerial back pike, hit; switch leap back tuck, solid; beat jump, moving quickly and aggressively through the routine; ro 1.5, small step back. It’s so good to see her back on beam! 9.875
Rollins (BYU): double tuck, secure landing – some leg sep; lay lay full, well-controlled. I definitely missed her leaps. 9.85
Bayles (USU): front aerial bhs bhs, secure; switch leap tuck 3/4, hit; ro 1.5, stuck. Great way to end the meet for USU. 9.9
Ripley (BYU): front punch through to double tuck, low chest but pulls it around; switch side popa wolf full, slightly short of 360; double pike, veryyyy deep landing but pulls it around again. 9.725
Mina Margraf on floor in exhibition with a hit routine.
FINAL: BYU 196.450, USU 195.425
BYU got back on track with a 196; It wasn’t the Cougars’ best meet still, but definitely a solid one overall. Utah State doesn’t count a fall, but there’s certainly room for improvement; this team showed what it was capable of last week, and this wasn’t far off. A near-49 on beam while counting a 9.5 is quite impressive for this Aggie squad.
Event Winners:
VT: Alivia Ostendorf (USU) 9.900
UB: Anyssa Alvarado (BYU) 9.875
BB: Mina Margraf (BYU), Brianna Brooks, Carley Bayles (USU) 9.900
FX: Alivia Ostendorf (USU) 9.900
AA: Brianna Brooks (USU) 39.050
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Live blog by Tara Graeve
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